Exhaust steam injector



SePt- 1,1931- J. F. GRIFFIN ET AL. 1,821,153

EXHAUST STEAM INJECTOR Filed Sept. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENToRs JQJEPH E ff/FF//V By RT/Uff WILL/AMS 'ATT'ORN EY Y Sept. l, 1931. J. F. GRIFFlN ET AL 1,821,153

` EXHAUST STEAM INJEcToR Filed sept. 6, 1929 '3 sheets-Sheet 2 NVENTORJ JOSE/H E G'fT/FF//r A TTORNE Y.

Sept- 1, 1931- J.. F. GRIFFIN ETAL 1,821,153

EXHAUST STEAM INJECTOR Filed Sept. 6. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 A TTORNE Y.

Patented Sept. 1, 1931 siren srTES `irre-"r orificel JOSEPH F. GRIFFIN, OF TEANECK, rNEW' JERSEY, 'AND`ARTHUE` tIL-LIMS; GF

FLUSI-IG, YGBK, ASSIGNORS YORK, Y.

TO THE SUFERHEATER CMPANY, OF NEW EXHAUsr s'rnAM INJEoToR Appnesnon. filed vsaprei-uber e, 1929. serial No. 390,817.

The present invention relates to exhaust steam injectors of the typel adapted toy be operate-d Wholly by live steam when exhaust steam is not available end. has tor .its general purpose the provision of an improved form of injector oi" this character and. control system therefor. y

limon the several objects of the invention are to proxf'ide n vertical injector oi' this type utilizing onlyV a single set of nozzles g. to pre vide n: vertical injector in a. more compnet form then has heretofore been possible; to provide a vertical injector in which maximum accessibility :for removel of the several injector elements is provided; to provide an injector in which interior pecking is elimineted.; to provide en injector in which the iiuid fioiv therethrough subjected to the minimum number of sudden ch 'angesin direcd tion; to provide an improved form of. control system in Which both control of the injector and. regulation thereofl is effected in an improved me nner through the manipulation of n single control member; to provide a. novel formof fluid pressure operated main steam control vnlve in such a. system; to provide a novel and` improved form oi' 'exhaust steam control valve; toy prot/*ideen improvedarrangement for operating theA Waterl valve whereby an improved sequence' of events'. in

the storting oi the ingector is automatically effected and to provide e nove-lv valve `arrangieinent whereby he operation ot' the injector' is shifted from exhaust to live steam und vice versn.

With these and more detailed objects in View the invention comprises the novel com binzitions ot' elements end vapplication of principles which may best be understood from the ensuing description. of a pre'erred embodiment of the invention which is illustrated in the accompnnyin` drawings forming; a part hereof and invvhich Fig. rl is a fragmentary elevation ot locomotive showing;` the injector opp-lied thereto; Fig. 2 is enlarged central verticalsection token through the injector and Figs. 3 to 6 are fragmentary sections on a still further enlarged seele of netsilsor", the mechanisms shown in Fig. 2;

l. THE INJEo'ror. Pnornn The injector, indicated lgenerally at A in Fig. l, is of the type adapted to be operated mainly by the exhaust steam froman engine (usually that of a locomotive) and to which there is added n small quantity of high pressure live steam (hereinafter referred to as supplementar i steam) which is necessary to enable the injector' to build up a. delivery pres sure suliicient to feed boilers operatingy at pressures nonv commonly employed.

When exhaust steam is not available the injector is operated by supplementary steam and a supply of live steam 'at reduced pressure (hereinafter referred .to as auxiliary steam) which is supplied to the main low' presure or 'exhaust steam nozzle of the injector.

Referring now to the drawings', the' in# ject'or comprises a main body l in which are mounted in alim-ement the main lon pressure steam nozzle 2,. Water nozzle or cone 3", secondary' lsteam nozzle 4, and combining tube 5. Nozzle 2 is not mounted directly in the housing but is slidably mounted in' e sleeve 6 preferably pressed ina suitable web and extending slightly into the inlet end of nozzle 3. The purpose of this sleeve Will be Vregferred to later.V Nozzles?) and 4 und cour biuing tube 5 are threaded into the main body i so es be removable downwardly and the thinnedl lower end of body l is located adjacent to the lower end of combining tube 5. Thelower end of body 1 is closed by a suit'- ably flanged cap 7 in which the delivery tube 8 is secured. At its lower end tube 5 is provided `with a cylindricnl recess into which the annuler upper end 8a of tube 8 extends,- said end carrying. the usual removableA tipV 9. It is important that the tubes 5 zindSy be in nlinement and .it willV be obvious that such eline-ment may readily be secured by utilizing the cylindrical recessintube 5 as a guide for the portion 8a of tube This f onstructi on enables the lnozzlesiny the.V injester` to be readily removedv by disconnecting cap PLas thislprocedure shortens the injector and provides the necessary clearance for the insertion of tools for backing nozzles 3, and e and tube 5 out of the injector body- As will be apparent from Fig. 1 the use of a vertical injector in the most desirable location on the locomotive leaves very little clearance above the track for reaching the interior of the injector from below and this arrangement ior parting the injector body to provide the necessary clearance is of importance.

Furthermore, by utilizing the construction illustrated it is possible to secure the tube 5 in the body by a screw threaded joint instead of using a packed joint which has been necessary heretofore when the combining and delivery tubes have been made as a single unitsecured in the body at the delivery end.

At itsupper end the body 1 forms a large main steam chamber 1() which communicates both with nozzle 2 and the secondary steam nozzle 4. Between the latter and nozzle 5 a closed vacuum chamber 11 is provided, the function of this being disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 1,342,128 granted June l, 1920 So J. Metcalfe et al.

lVater is supplied to cone 3 from chamber 12 located at the upper end of water passages 12a (see Fig. 4) the inlet ends of these passages joining in a common chamber 13 to which water is supplied through pipe 14 under control of valve 15.

Regulation of the amount of water fed to the injector is etlected by longitudinal movement of the main steam nozzle 2 which in Fig. 2 is shown in its retracted position. Obviously as this nozzle is moved downwardly' the low-er end of it will project beyond the lower end of sleeve 6 and throttle the opening between chamber 12 and the interior of nozzle 3. Sleeif'e 6 extending into nozzle 3 eliminates the necessity for packing around nozzle 2 as any steam leakage between 2 and 6 will be carried directly into nozzle 3 and will not iind its way into the water chamber 12 where it would heat the suction water and reduce the eil'lciency oic the injector. This speciiic sleeve construction is not novel and is fully disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 1,659,- 686 granted February 21, 1928 to Malcolm Hard.

Combining tube 5 is surrounded by the usual overflow chamber 16 and flow from the combining tube to this chamber is controlled by the flap 17 which is normally held in closed position by the spring 18. Valve 19 controlling flow to the overflow pipe 2O is arranged to be normally held open by gravity and is closed after operation of the injector is started by piston 21 which through port 22 is in communication with the delivery passage 23 of the injector. A pivoted lever 24 is interposed between piston 21 and the stem of valve 19 and the upper end of this lever is connected to the rod 25 which atl its upper end is threaded through a suitable stand 26 preferably located in the cab and provided with the hand Wheel 27 by means of which it may be moved manually to positively close valve 19.

Water is delivered by the injector from tube 8 to passage 23 from which it passes to the delivery line 28 by way oil check valve 23al and in this connection it is to be noted that the column of water under pressure from the injector is subjected to but a single 90 degree turn instead of the 180 degree turn heretofore employed in vertical exhaust steam injectors. Because of the distance between the delivery end of the injector and the boiler check valve (not shown) the delivery line 28 may be arranged with relatively long sweeping turns so that the total pressure drop in the delivery line between the delivery nozzle and the boiler check is considerably reduced. In view of the high boiler pressures now employed this reduction in pressure loss becomes an important item.

The upper end of the injector body 1 is closed by a head 29 in which are mounted the supplementary live steam nozzle 30 and certain of the steam control valves which will be described in detail later. It has heretofore been considered highly important to have nozzles 30 and 2 in exact alinement but experience in the operation of injectors in which misalinement has occurred has shown this factor to be of secondary importance, and by mounting the supplementary nozzle inthe injector head it will be evident that removal of this head as a unit permits ready access to the upper interior portion of the main injector body and to the main nozzle 2 and sleeve 6.

The high pressure steam is admitted to nozzle 30 through supply pipe 31 leading from the locomotive turret and in which is preferably though not necessarily located the steam shutl off valve 32. Passage of live steam from 31 to the high pressure nozzle 30 is controlled by the main valve 33 which will be described in detail later.

Exhaust steam is supplied through pipe 34 leading from the engine cylinders and is delivered to the main steam chamber 10 by way oflthe exhaust valve 35 which will also be described later.

Auxiliary live steam is supplied to chamber 10 from the main high pressure steam supply pipe 31 in a manner which will be described in connection with the control system.

2. CONTROL SYSTEM (a) The mai/n steam control calce The main4 steam control valve 33 controls communication between pipe 31 and an intermediate steam chamber 36 located in head 29 and in constant communication with the supplementary steam nozzle 30.

This valve comprises a lower conical seat 33a and an upper piston 336 loosely fitted in cylinder 37' formed in head 29. A cap 38 closes the upper end of cylinder 37 to form a chamber 37al above piston 336. Com munication between chambers 36 and 37a is established by means of ports 39 extending through the bottom of valve 33 and these ports are in turn controlled by the pilot valve 40, the stem of Which extends upwardly through chamber 37u and is secured to a piston 4l loosely litted in cylinder 38a formed in cap 38. The top of piston 41 is formed With a valve face adapted to bear against a suitable seat 42 formed in the upper end of cylinder 38a.

Chamber 33a above piston 4l is connected by means of pipe 43 to an annular chamber 44 in head 39 (Fig. 6) said chamber being' connected by means of branch passage 45 to the steam supply pipe 3l and also by passage 4G with the low pressure steam chamber 10. A double seated relayvalve 47 is arranged to place chamber 44 in communication with either passage 45 or 4G, said valve being provided with suitably Winged stems 47a and 476 located respectively in passages 45 and 46 and serving as valve guides. 'The relay valve 47 is urged toward its lower seat` by steam pressure in passage 45 but may be lifted to its upper seat by the action of spring 48 acting on the pivoted lever 49, one end of which is adapted to engage thevalve stem 47?). The control of the position of the lever 49 which in turn controls the position of the relay valve 47 Will be described later.

The operation of the main valve is as follows: Assuming that steam is admitted to pipeSl and that the lever 4S) is out of contact with stem 472) (as shown in Fig. 2) steam will be admitted through passage 45 and pipe 43 to chamber 335 and Will also leali past piston 331 into chamber 370i. Valve 40- Will be held to its seat by -unbalanced steam pressure as will also the main valve 33. It noW the position of the relay valve 44 is reversed, chamber 38?) is vented by Way of pipe 43- and passage 46 to the louT pressure chamber 10. Releasing of this pressurepermits pilot valve 40 to lift and vent chamber 37a through ports 39. The releasing of this pressure causes steam pressure below piston 332') to lift the main valve against the action of spring 33e to allow steam to liovv to chamber 36 and to nozzle 30. lt is particularly to be noted that in this operation the pilot valve 40 opens lirst so that the moment valve 33 begin-s to open and steam pressure is built up in chalnber 3G it causes reverse flow through ports 39 into chamber 37a. This is a highly important feature of the valve construction as it eliminates slamming of the valve in opening, which has' heretofore rendered valves of this general type undesirable for this purpose.

The reason for thisslamming and the man-ner in which it is overcome is as follows:

"" In orded to eliminate any possibility of the As the pressure of steam admitted through pipe 3l may ,vary from 60 pounds to full boiler pressure of perhaps 250 pounds it will be readily apparent that if piston 336 is made suliiciently large so that a 60 pound pressure Will overcome spring 330, a 250 pound pressure acting on the same area will provide an excessive unbalanced opening force Which if unchecked will cause the main valve to slam open in a destructive manner. rlhis is further aggravated by the fact that if valve 33 were not ported the entire lower face of the valve Would be subjected to unbalanced lifting pressure as soon as pressure in chamber 3b was built up.

With the arrangement shown, the valve 33 is substantially balanced with respect to steam pressure immediately after it begins to open and is thereafter lifted by means of the lower end of the pilot valve stem, which is lifted because of the unbalanced steam pressure between chamber 370iy and the vented chamber 385. When the pilot valve piston 4l reaches the topk of its stroke it engages seat 42 to prevent continued steam leakage through pipe 43.

Reversal of the relay valve to the position shown in Fig. 6 admits steam to chamber 33?), overbalancing the pilot valve and causing it to exe t a downward pressure on main valve 33, which together with the force exert ed by spring closes the valve. After the latter'is seated it is held closed by steam pressure in chamber 37a built up by leal-:age past both pistons 335 and4l.

(5)1 yThe eac/must steam 00m/rol @albe The exhaust valve 35 is of the single seattno ed i'iattype mounted ona swinging arm 50 pivotedabout the pin 5l secured in the housing 52, the latter preferably being a separate casting located between the exhaust pipe 34 and the inyeetor body l. A lever 53, independent o arm 5G, is pivoted at its upper end about pin 5l and at its lower end engages a kpiston 54,. the latter having a head 55 located in cylinder 56 and provided vwith an annui lar valve face 55a adapted to engage a corresponding seat 55?) when the piston is at the top ot the cylinder. Cylinder' 56 is preterably carried by' removable cover plate 57 which when removed provides access to the interior et the valve casino* Intermediate its ends lever is provided with a boss 53a adapted to engage a portion of the swinging ehau-st valve to bold the latter in closed position and lever is urged tothe position shown in Fig. 2 by piston 58, the latter being under the iniiucnce of a relative ly heavy sprl-ng 59' located in the retaining cylinder 'GO fortuin-g a part of casing 52.

Cylinder 56 is placed in communication in the intermediate steam chamber 36 in the injector head by means of the conduit 61.

. When the injector is shut off, the exhaust valve assembly is in the position shown in Fig. 2 and the pressure of spring 59 prevents the opening of this valve under the influence of any exhaust steam pressure which may exist in pipe 34. Cylinder 56'is tilled with high pressure steam from conduit 61 at all times when the main steam valve 33 is open andthe pressure of this steam moves piston to the top of the cylinder, thereby lifting lever 53 against the pressure ot spring 59 to free the exhaust valve, Which, during periods When the injector is operating under normal conditions, will assume an open or closed position in accordance With the preponderance of pressure acting thereon.

(c) The changeover mechanism In order to provide auxiliary steam to the injector When exhaust steam is not available the automatic valve 62 is provided, which when exhaust steam is not available opens to admit live steam from chamber 36 to chamber 63, the latter being in communication by way of port 64 with the main low pressure chamber 10. Nozzle 30 projects through this port and has mounted thereon a sliding collar 65, a portion of which is exteriorly tapered so that longitudinal movement of the collar will vary the free area through port 64. The maximum free area through said port is sutliciently small so that the pressure of the steam passing therethrough is substantially reduced. A coil spring 66, located between the collar 65 and a suitable stop 67, normally holds the collar 65 in the position giving maximum port area through 64. and it Will be evident that with variations in tbe pressure of steam in chamber 63, the collar 65 will be moved by the unbalanced steam pressure thereon to reduce the area through port 64 as pressure in 63 increases, thereby automatically maintaining a substantially constant reduced pressure in chamber 10. This arrangement, constituting a variable auxiliary steam choke, is not essential to the functioning of the injector as a Whole, as a choke of ixed area may be employed Without rendering the injector inoperative, but the variable. choke, maintaining a relatively constant pressure in chamber 10, increases the etilciency and operating range of the injector.

As previously stated, auxiliary steam is admitted to chamber 63 by valve 62 only when exhaust steam is not available, and this valve is preferably opened or closed in accordance With the presence or absence or a predetermined average pressure o exhaust steam from the main engine cylinders.

In order to effect the automat-ic operation ot valve 62 this valve, which is of the single seated type normally closed by 'steam pressure inchamber 36, is formed With a piston 68 (see Fig. 5) operating in cylinder 69 which is closed at its upper end by cap 70, the latter having a cylindrical recess in Which is preterably, though not necessarily, spring 71 tending to close valve 62. Cylinder 69 forms a chamber 72 above piston 68. rlhis chamber and chamber 63 are connected by a restricted lorifice which may be in the form of a clearance between piston 68 and cylinder 69 or a small hole 73 drilled through the piston. Piston 68 is larger in diameter than the valve 62 and it Will be obvious that if steam is present in chamber 63, the valve will be moved to its open position (as shown f in Fig. 5) it chamber 72 is vented, and will be moved to closed position by the action of steam pressure and also of spring 71, if chamber 72 is closed so that pressure can build up on both sides ot piston 68.

A vent pipe 74 leads from chamber 72 and flow through this pipe to pipe 7 5 Which terminates at some zone of lowpressure, such as the main chamber 10 of the injector, is controlled by a needle valve 76 mounted in housing` 77. Valve 76 is opened by the action ot a spring 78 and is closed against the action ot this spring by the pressure of exhaust steam admitted to diaphragm chamber 79 through the control pipe 80. This pipe com- P municates at its inlet end with the main exhaust line ot the locomotive, preferably in the manner described in the copending U. S. application Serial #323,852 tiled in the name of Malcolm Hard December 5, 1928, so that the pulsations in the engine exhaust are substantially dampened and a relatively uniform average exhaust pressure is admitted to the diaphragm chamber 79.

The operation of this automatic changeover valve is largely obvious from the pre ceding description since When exhaust steam is available, pressure in diaphragm chamber 79 closes valve 7 6, Which in turn causes piston 68 to be balanced by steam pressure and the valve 62 controlling the admission of auxiliary steam to chamber 63 to remain closed. When exhaust steam fails, for example due to closing the engine throttle, pressure in diaphragm chamber 79 is released, thereby' permitting valve 76 to open and vent chamber 7 2. The release of pressure from the top ot piston 68 causes it to ov-erbalance and open the automatic valve 62 to permit auxiliary steam to flow to the main injector chamber 10 by Way of the choke port 64.

(d) The water control and regulating mechanism The main Water valve 15 is provided with located main steam chamber 10. The lost motion connection 82 is normally held in the extended position shown in Fie. 2 by means of the spring S5 located between stems 15a and 83. Siem 83 within the chamber 10 is slotted as at 86 to receive the free end .of a lever 87a see Fig. 3) forming part of a yoke 87 which is keyed as .at 88 to the pin 89 extending transversely through the body and extending at one side to the exterior thereof through stuil'- ing box 90. Y

Yoke 87' is formed with a pair of spaced arms 87o extending oppositely from the arm 87o and provided at their outer extremities with suitable open ended slots engaging the bosses 2o extending from opposite sides of the top of nozzle 2.

t its outer end, pin 89 carries the lever 91 which in turn is pivotally connected to the operating rod a2 extending into the locomotive cab and. controlled by the manually operable cab .lever 93.

As will be readily apparent from F ig. 2, movement of operating rod 92 upward will act to lift the water valve 15 from its seat to admit water to chamber 12. At the same time the main steam nozzle 2 will be moved in a downward direction from its retracted position. lVhcn the water valve Afirst opened it will. be evident that the water regulating opening between the steam nozzle 2 and the water cone 3 is of maximum area, as the initial downward movement of nozzle 2 will not be effective to change the area of the vater passage at this point until nozzle 2 has been me ed to point where the lower end of the nozzle projects beyond the lower endV of sleeve G. From this it will be seen that the water valve is always opened with the water regulating port in maximum open position. Gbviously. the position of nozzle 2 at the instant the wat-er valve begins-to open will be soii'iewhere above the lower end of sleeve 6, so that valve 15 may be opened before regulation begins to take place. This is necessary in order to be able to operatethe injector vith maximum water opening. Therefore, as hereinafter claimed. the maximumposition of the water regulating nozzle 2 is intended to cover any position thereof -at or beyond the position which permits the maximum flow of water to cone 3. Continued movement upward of the operating rod 92 after the water valve has been opened serves tomove the nozzle 2 downwardly beyond the lower end of sleeve 6 to effect regulation, the water opening being` progressively decreased as the rod 92 is lifted until the position of minimum openino' (which if desired n. E may be zero) has been reached.

(e) Main steam @aloe control hand end of the relay valve control lever 49 `so that a suitable clearance is provided between this lever and the lower end of the relay valve stem 476. It will be remembered that when this lever is out of Contact with the relay valve the latter is held in its lower position by steam pressure and the main steam valve is closed. If now the operating rod 92 is lifted, it will be obvious that the consequent lowering of the arm 87?) will permit lever 49 to assume the oosit-ion shown in Fig. 6 thereby shifting the relay valve 47 and causing the main steam valve to be opened. In this connection it important to note that the clearance between i9 and 4:75 permits the water valve 15 to be substantially opened to flush the injector before the relay valve is opened to admit operating steam thereto, and it will be evident that through this single Control the operator may, if desired, hold the water valve open for the purpose of flushing and cooling the injector for as long a period as may be desired without admitting steam thereto and that operation` of the injector may then be .started merely by further movement of the single control lever. It is also to be noted that during this starting period the nozzle 2 is at or above the position of maximum water opening so that when steam is admitted to the injector there is an unrestricted water flow thereto which insures ample water supply for rapidly condensing the steam and insuring rapid establishment of the injector jet. After the injector is once started, the degree of regulation desired may then be secured by further movement of the operating rod.

At the time when steam is rst admitted by the opening of the main valve 33, the exhaustV valve is automatically freed by the simultaneous admission of steam-to cylinder, 56 and if exhaust steam is available it is then free to How to the chamber 10.

lf exhaust steam is not available at the time the injector is started the admission of steam to chamber 36 will cause valve 62 to open and auxiliary live steam will be admitted to chamber 10 through the choke port- 64. Escape of auxiliary live steam through pipe 34 is prevented by valve 35 which while free to openV act-s as a check valve because of the pressure of auxiliary steam in chamber 10 and the absence of exhaust steam pressure in pipe 84.

It will be remembered that the variable choke for the auxiliary steam is not essential to the operation of the injector. lf this element is omitted and a choke of fixed area is used, a condition may arise which would interfere with the operation of the injector unless otherwise compensated for. This condition arises from the fact that if a fixed choke is employed to give a desired pressure of say 6 pounds in chamber 10 when normal boiler pressure (250 lbs. for example) is available in pipe 3l, a drop in boiler pressure of any considerable magnitude will cause the fixed choke to so reduce the pressure in chamber l that a partial vacuum may be created. With' exhaust valve 35 free to open, the par- Atial vacuum in chamber l0 would draw air intothe injector from the empty exhaust pipe 34 and cause the injector to spill. In order to prevent this possibility in case a fixed choke is used, spring 59 is made of sutlicient ,strength so that it can be overbalanced to `conditions the engine of the locomotive would not ordinarily be operating and the injector would function as a live steam injector.

Turning again to the Water valve construction, the lost motion connection between stems o. land 83 is provided in order that theivater valve may be lifted by Vinterrial pressure in the injector. such pressure beingsupplied through a separate steam line used for heating purposes only. lVhen this arrangement Vis employed the overflow valve 19 is manually closed and steam is admitted. to the injector for the purpose of heating it and also for the purpose of clearing the suction line lil- .by blowing steam back through this line to the supply tank. Vith the lost motion connection in the Water valve operating mechanism this operation can be accomplished Without opening the main injector valve.

In connection with the Water valve construction itis particularly to be noted that automatic operation of this valve with respect to the other valves in the control system is secured Without resorting to the use of a steam operated piston or similar device of the type heretofore employed in automatic control systems. By eliminating the use of steam actuated mechanism for this valve all possibility of steam leakage from the actuating piston into the Water passages is obviated, a condition which has been found to exist in practice in the past, and one which seriously interferes with the operating` range of the injector by heating the Water before it reaches the injector.

We claim: l. In an exhaust steam injector comprising Y a water supply valve and a main live steam ysupply valve, mechanical means for operating said Water,` valve, said means comprising a single manually operable` control means, and means associated with said Water valve operating means for causin(T said main steam valve to be opened after said water valve is opened.

2. In van exhaust steam injector comprising a Water valve and a main live steam valve,

mechanical means comprising a single manu- V ally operable element for opening the water valve, and means associated with said Water valve opening means for causing said steamvalve to be opened by live steam pressure after the Water valve is opened.

3. In an exhaust steam injector, the combination With a plurality of conduits for supplying Water and live steam to the injector and means for regulating the amount oi Water supplied to the injector, of a. mechanically operated Water valve, means operatively associated with said regulating means for opening said valve, means operatively associated with said regulating means for admitting live steam to the injector only after the Water valve is opened, and control means for manually operating said regulating means.

4l. In an exhaust steam injector, the combination with a plurality of conduits for supplying Water and live steam to the injector and means movable between a minimum position and a maximum position for i'egulating the amount of Water supplied to the inector of a Water valve means oierativel 7 a Y,

associated with said regulating means for opening said Water valve With the regulating means in maximum open position, valve ineansassociated With and actuated by movement of said regulating means for control-` ling the admission of live steam to the injector With the regulating mechanism in maximum open position, and means for manually operating said regulating means.

5. In an exhaust steam injector, the combination vvith a plurality of conduits for vsupplying Water and live steam to the injector and means movable between maximum and minimum positions for regulating the amount of Water supplied to the injector, of a Water valve, means operatively associated with said regulating means for opening the Water valve with the regulating means in maximum position, means associated With and actuated by movement of the regulating means for admitting live steam to the injector With the regulating means in maximum position and after the. Water valve has been opened, and means for manually operating said regulating means to first cause Water and live steam to be admitted to the injector and thereafter to regulate the amount of Water supplied to the injector.

6. In an exhaust steam injector, the combination With a plurality of conduits for supplying Water and live steam to the injector and means movable between maximum and minimum positions for regulating the amount of Water supplied to the injector, a Water valve, means operatively associated With said regulating means for opening the water valve when the regulating means is in maximum position, a main steam valve associated With and actuated by movement of the regulating means for admitting live steam to the injector with the regulating means in maximum position and alter the Water valve has been opened, and manually operable control means movable in one direction to move said regulating means from maximum to minimum position and to first cause opening oi the Water valve and the main steam valve in the order named and then to etlect regulation of the amount of Water supplied to the injector.

7. In an exhaust steam injector, the combination With a plurality of conduits for supplying Water and live steam to the injector, and mechanically operated means movable between maximum and minimum positions for regulating the amount of Water supplied to the injector, of a mechanically operated Water valve interconnected With said regulating means to be opened by movement of the regulating means toward its minimum position, steam operated means comprising a relay valve for admitting live steam to the inject-or, and means acting in response to movement of the regulating means towards its minimum position for actuating the relay valve to admit live steam to the injector, and manually operable control means for operating said regulating means.

8. In an exhaust steam injector a main lo-iv pressure steam nozzle movable between maximum and minimum positions to regulate the amount of Water supplied to Vthe injector, ay Water valve controlling the admission of Water to the injector, a main high pressure steam valve controlling the admission of live steam to the injector, a relay valve tor controlling the operation et said main valve, and manually operable control mechanism lor moving said regulating nozzle, said mechanism comprising a connection for opening said Water valve, and means for actuating the relay valve to cause said main valve to be opened, said connection and said last-named means operating to open the respective valves in the order named upon movement ot' the regulating means from maximum toward minimum position.

9. ln an exhaust steam injector a main body, a. main loW pressure steam nozzle mounted therein and movable between maximum and minimum pesitions vfor regulating the amount ot Water supplied to the injector, a valve tor controlling the admission of Water to the injector, a main steam valve .tor controlling the admission of live steam to ,the injector, a relay valve controlling the operation of said main valve, a pivot mounted in said body, a yoke mounted on said pivot and having an arm adapted to move said nozzle to e'l'ect Water regulation, a second arm on said yoke for opening said Water va ve,

means for actuating said relay valve to open the main valve, said means being engaged by said yoke when the nozzle is in maximum open position and being released to cause the main valve to be opened when the nozzle is when l he in'ector is not o ratinv and luid l" pressure actuated means operated upon the opening of the main valve to release said exhaust valve closing means, whereby the exhaust valve is rendered free to open under the influence of exhaust steam pressure, and

operating mechanism having a single control for lirst opening the Water valve and then the main steam valve.

ll. ln an exhaust steam injector having conduits connected therewith for supplying;

Water, live steam and exhaust steam to the injector, a main body in Which' are mounted the exhaust steam `and Water nozzles of the injector, a head Jfor closing` one end ot said body and to Which said live steam conduit is:`

connected, a main steam valve located in said head for controlling the admission o live steam t0 the injector, and a supplementary steam nozzle mounted in said head.

12. An exhaust steam injector' comprising a casing divided into a main body and ahead closing one end of said body, a conduit connected to said head for supplying live steam to the injector, a main control valve located in said head and an automatic valve for alternatively admitting exhaust and auxiliary steam to said injector, said last-named valve being located in said head.

13. In an exhaust steam injector the combination with a main live steam control valve,x

an automatic valve for alternatively admitting auxiliary live steam and exhaust steam to the injector, a supplementary nozzle and a main lovv pressure steam nozzle, of an injector casing comprising a main body portion and a removable head, said main nozzle being mounted in the main body portion and said main and automatic valves and said supplementary nozzle being mounted in said removable head, therev being an exhaust steam inlet in the main body portion of the casing.

lll. An exhaust steam injector comprising asupplementary steam nozzle, a main 10W pressure steam nozzle, a watercone, a combining tube and a delivery tube, athree part casing` coiiipi'isiiig a main body portion, a removable head closing one end of said main body portion and having mounted therein said supplementary steam nozzle, and a removable cap closing the opposite end of said main body portion and having mounte' therein said delivery tube, said main steam nozzle, water cone and combining tube being removably mounted in the main body portion.

15. An exhaust steam injector comprisingcombining and delivery tubes, a casing having a main body portion in which the combining tube is removably mounted, a removable cap closing the combining tube end of the main body portion and having removably mounted therein the delivery tube, said combining and delivery tubes being telescoped when in assembled position to hold them in axial alinement.

16. In an exhaust steam injector a main body casing having a low pressure steam nozzle, a water cone and a combining tube mounted in axial alinement therein, a removable cap closing one end of the casing and having a delivery tube mounted therein, said combining and delivery tubes having contacting surfaces arranged to hold them in axial alinemcnt when in assembled position.

17. In an exhaust steam injector, a casing having a low pressure steam nozzle, awater cone, a combining tube and a delivery tube mounted in axial alignment therein, said casing being parted between the points at which the combining and delivery tubes are mounted and said combining and delivery tubes having contacting surfaces a-rranged to hold them in axial alignment when in assembled position.

18. In an exhaust steam injector a combining tube, a delivery tube, said tubes being llongitudinally telescoped to form a rigid unit the elements of which are held in axial alinement, an injector body into which both of said tubes are threaded, said body being parted between the threads securing the combining tube and the threads securing the delivery tube.

19. In avertical exhaust sieam injector a. main body casing open at its lower end, a combining tube screwed into said casing and removable through the bottom thereof, said combining tube having a cylindrical recess at its lower end, a removable cap closing the lower end ot said casing and a delivery tube screwed in the said cap and having a.cylin drical extension adapted to engage the walls ot said recess to hold the two tubes in axial alinement when they are in assembled position.

20. A vertical exhaust steamY injector comprising a high pressure steam nozzle, a delivery tube and a plurality of intermediate nozzles including alow pressure steam nozzle, an injector body in which all of said elen'ients are mounted in axial alinement, said body being divided into a head carrying the hiwh pressure steam nozzle, a main body casing carrying the intermediate nozzles and a cap carrying the delivery tubes, a conduitfor delivering high pressure steam to said head, sa-id main body casing having al lateral opening therein, and a conduit for delivering low pressure steam through said lateral opening.

21. Apparatus of the character described comprising an exhaust steam injector of the type adapted to be operated by live steam when exhaust steam is not available, a steam generator, a conduit for conducting operatine live steam from the generator to the injector, a main control valve in said conduit adapted to be opened by pressure of live steam flowing to the injector, a pressure chamber to which steam is admitted for overbalancing the opening pressure, means 'for venting said pressure chamber, and means for admitting steam under pressure to said pressure chamber upon initial opening of the valve to cushion its movement to fully opened position.

22. Apparatus of the character described comprising an exhaust steam injector of the type adapted to be operated by live steam when yexhaust steam is not available, a steam generator, a conduit for conducting operating live steam from the generator to the injector, a main control valve in said conduit adapted to be opened by pressure ot live steam flowing to the injector, a pressure cha aber to which steam is admitted to hold said valve in closed position, means for venting said chamber to cause an initial opening of the main valve, means for admitting steam under pressure to said chamber upon the initial opening of the valve to bala-nce the same, and means for causing said venting means to move said main valve to fully opened position.

Apparatus of the character described comprising an exhaust steam injector o'tl the type adapted to be operated by live steam when exhaust steam is not available, a steam generator, a conduit for conducting opera-ting live steam from the generator to the injector, a main control valve in said conduit adapted to be opened by pressure of live steam flowing to the injector, a pressure chamber to which steam is admitted to maintain said valve in closed position, a pilot valvetor venting said chamber to cause an initial opening of the main valve, means for permitting steam under pressure to flow to said pressure chamber upon initial open-ing of the main valve to balance the same, and means actuated by pressure in sa-id chamber for causing said pilot valve to lift the main valve to fully opened position after it has been balanced.

24. Apparatus of the character described comprising an exhaust steam injector of the type adapted to be operated by live steam when exhaust steam is not available, a steam generator, a conduit for conducting operating live steam from the generator to the injector, a main control valve in said conduit adapted to be opened by pressure of live steam flowing to the injector, a pressure chamber to which steam is admitted for holding said valve in closed position, a-pilot valve comprising a piston having a face subjected to pressure from said chamber, means for admitting high pressure steam to the other tace of said piston to balance it, manually operable control means for relieving pressure on said other face of the piston to lift said pilot valve and vent said pressure ciamber, whereby said main valve is initially opened, and means for admitting steam to said pressure chamber upon initial opening of the main valve to cause said pilot valve and piston to move the main valve to fully opened position.

In an exhaust steam injector having connected therewith a live steam supply conduit leading from the steam generator yand an exhaust steam supply conduit leading from an engine, a main steam valve controlling admission of live steam to the injector, an exhaust valve for controlling admission of exhaust steam to the injector, said lastnamed valve being adapted to be opened by the pressure of exhaust steam, resilient mei' chanical means for holding said exhaust valve in closed position, a fluid pressure actuated piston acting in opposition to said means to release the exhaust valve, and a steam connection leading from the discharge side of the main valve to said piston, the area of said piston and the strength ot said means being so related that a pressure of steam from the generator suiiicient to maint-ain a positive pressure of auxiliary steam in the injector is required to actuate the said piston against said means.

26. In an exhaust steam injector to which auxiliary live steam is admitted, a low pr?- sure steam chamber, a high pressure steam chamber, a port connecting said chambers, a movable element arranged inv said port to 'ferm a restricting orifice or choke, the free area through said choke being varied upon movement of said element, resilient means for normally holding said element in position to provide maximum free area through the choke, said member having an unbalanced area exposed to high pressure steam to create a force proportional to the pressure of the steam in said high pressure chamber, said force acting in opposition to said means, whereby the area of said choke is automatically varied in accordance With variations ien the pressure of the high pressure steam,

27. An exhaust' steam injector comprising a low pressure steam chamber and a high pressure steam chamber, a port connecting said chambers, an automatic valve opening to admit steam at boiler pressure to the high pressure chamber when exhaust steam is not available, and means located in the port connecting said chambers to form a pressure reducing choke, said means moving automatically in response to variations of pressure in the high pressure chamber to regulate the pressure of the steam passing through the choke and maintain it at substantially e'onstant pressure in the low pressure chamber.

2S. ln an exhaust steam injector a low pressure steam chamber, a high pressure steam chamber, a port connecting said chambers, a high pressure nozzle extending through said port into said low pressure chamber, a movable member slidably mounted on said nozzle and extending through said port, said member being adapted to move to form a restricted choke orifice of varying area between said chambers, and means for admitting live steam at boiler pressure to the high pressure chamber, said movable member mov- Ying in response to variations in pressure in the high pressure chamber to vary the opening through said port to maintain a substantially constant pressure in the low pressure chamber. A

29. An exhaust steam injector comprising a low pressure chamber and a high pressure steam chamber, a conical member extending through said port and movably mounted axially of the port to form a pressure reducing choke of variable area, a spring acting on said member and tending to move it toward the high pressure chamber to increase the free area through the port, said member providing surface exposed to unbalanced pressure in the high pressure chamber adapted to move the member automatically in response to va riations of pressure in the high pressure chamber to reduce the free area through said port, whereby the pressure in said low pressure chamber is maintained substantially constant, and a low pressure steam nozzle in communication with said low pressure chamber.

In testimony whereof we have hereunder set our hands at New York city, N. Y., this 30th day o1c August, 1929.

JOSEPH F. GRIFFIN. ARTHUR VILLAMS.. 

